Means for preventing thefts



.t-ullwn Feb. 4, 1964 J. w. FISHER r 3,120,202

- MEANS Foa PREVENTING mrs Enea oct. 2v, -1960 2 sheets-shut 1'l 5B oo 0') Q 0') Wv :9X m i V 0 l o v. l0

o N v N o o o) g :al ol v.

N (L9) u) lo (y) o o) ll o! N (D I o 0 N E Q L5 E ww L. 2 e

EN) lNvlc'NToR.

JOHN' WALTER FasHER Feb. 4, -1964 Filed Oct. 27, 1960 J. w. FISHER MEANS FOR PREVENTING mms 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MNE/vrai). form WALTER Fnsi-IER United States Patent O "ice 3,120,202 MEANS FOR PREVENTING T HEFTS John Walter Fisher, S-Elm Road, Kingsway,

Woking, England Filed Oct. 27, 1960, Ser. No. 65,390

Claims priority, application Great Britain Feb. 29, 1960 Claims. (Cl. 1119-36) l This invention relates to means for preventing thefts and has for its object to provide devices for foiling .attempts to snatch from messengers bags or cases containing money or other valuable articles.4

According to the invention a handbag or casetor transporting money or'other valuable articles is provided with a handle constructed to operate automatically if seized by an unauthorisedperson tov grip and retain the hand with reference to the accompanying drawingsof which:

FIG. l is a sectional elevation of the bag showing the operating mechanism, l

FIG. 2 shows the condition of the'bag after the mechanism has operated in response to a theft, and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view partly in section l showing the locking arm retaining arrangement.

According to this embodiment of the invention the han-l dle 1 of the bag cr case'Z is coatedvwith resilient rubber 3 and'is disposed adjacent a recess or cup 4 in the top of the bag which recess is also lined with soft rubber 5. The handle is carried by two parallel posts or rods 6 movable inwardly of the bag towards the rubber lined cup. Mounted inthe upper part of the handle is a release button 7 normally held depressed by the thumb of the person carrying the bag which is inserted in a shroud 8. Relaxation of this pressure enables a spring 9 to expand and the upward movement thereby imparted to the button is communicated through a Bowden cable 10 to release a locking arm 11A and free a spring-loaded piston 12 carrying a centrall striking pin 13 to operate and detonate a blank cartridge 14. As shown in FIGURE 3. the lower end of spring biased pivoted locking arm 11 is trapped against upward movement by balls 41 and 42 disposed in a bore of a fixed housing 40.` 'Lateral out-- ward displacement of balls 41 and 42 in the bore is prevented. by slidable release tumblers 45`and 46 respectively. v Tumbler 45 is attached to the wire within Bowden cable 10. Thus, when spring 9 moves button 7 up, this pulls the-tumbler 45 down to allow leftward displacement of ball 4l, and the arm 11 is permitted to swing coiin'terclockwise to release piston l2. Pin 43 limits travel of ball 41 in the bore, and pin 44 similarly limits the travel of ball 42 in the bore.

release arm 11. The dimensions are such that displacernent of either tumbler 45 or 46 will release arm 11. This specific manner of latching and vunlatching at arm 11 is merely'illustrative and thel details do not comprise part of the invention. When the latter explodes it moves a second spring-loaded piston 15 which also carries a striking pin 16 which is thereby caused to pierce the sealing element 17 of a container 18 of liquid carbon dioxide gas. The sudden escape of gas from the expended cartridge 14 down exhaust tube 19 makes a report sutciently loud to attractv the attention of persons nearby. The gas from the cylinder 18 passes through a passage 20 to a cylinder 21 surrounding a piston 22 connected to a crosshead 23 which in turn is fixed to the handle rods 6. The resulting downward movement of the piston and crosshead causes the handle to be drawn down onto Tumbler 46 is pulled down by the wire in Bowden cable 39`to similarly 3,120,202 Patentedv Feb. 4, 1964 the top of `the bag. Gas under pressure also passes through three pipes 24, 25 and 26 to extend three steel telescopic arms 27, 28 and 29 whose maximum extension FIG. 2. When these amis have been fully extended, the

continued gas pressure opens a valve 30 which permits the gas to pass to a standard type of police whistle 31 in arm z8 to give further warning to the public and police. The pressure can be released only by unlocking the case and unfastening a release screw (not shown). are provided with rubber `bull'eis '32, 33 and 34 at their outer ends for the protection of passers-by. e

When the bag is not in use the button 7 in the handle is held in the depressed position as shown in FIG. I1 by means of a safety pin 35 passed transversely through it and removed whenever the bag is put into use. When being carried, all three arms are of course retracted and the corresponding apertures in the'case blocked lwith knockout plugs.

.The operation of the devices above described is as fol- Y' lows:

If the handle of the bag is seized by a thief, the pres' sure on the button in the handle is removed and the mechanism described operates immediately and automatically to release the gas from container 18. The immediate result of this is three-fold. The handle is drawn inwardly to an extent such that -the soft rubber 3 around the handle and the rubber 4 in its adjacent cup 5 forms around the knuckles and renders it practically impossible to withdraw the hand. Secondly, the loud vreport caused by the explosion of the cartridge'and the' initial escape of gas attracts the attention of thev police or any other persons who may be in the vicinity of the attempted theft. Lastly, the extension of the telescopic arms renders it impossible for the' thief with his hand fixed to the case to escape through a door or window or to enter or leave an automobile vehicle. In these conditions his capture is likely as any attempt to cut himself free from the bag will be foiled owing to the bag being made in a material such as glass bre.

The mechanism may also be set in motion by a further spring-loaded release button 36 in the base of the case. This is normally locked in the restricted position by a lever 37 controlled by a key 38. When the bag is lett, for example, on a counter in a bank, the lever may be withdrawn by turning the key. Any subsequent attempt to lift the bag by an unauthorised person will result in the release of the main mechanism through a second Bowden cable connection 39, Preferably a very short time delay in the withdrawal of locking arm 1l by the operation of either release button is achieved by means of a dashpot 40, so as to allow the thief to grab the bag'.

I claim:

1. A hand bag assembly for transporting money and like valuable property comprising a bag, a handle movably mounted on the bag between a normal extended carrying position and a retracted hand clamping position adjacent the bag, a plurality of telescopic arms mounted in telescoped normally concealed position within the bag but extensible through openings-in the bag, power means for retracting said handle toward the bag with appreciable force and substantially at the same time extending said arms through the bag openings kto project in different directions from said bag, release means operable to cause.

actuation of said power means, and an operator for said release means normally -held in operative-position by a The arms 2. In the hand bag assembly defined in claim 1, said power means comprising a reservoir of gas under pres sure and a power motor connected by a conduit system to said reservoir, and said release means being operable when legitimate bearer control is prevented to produce gas ow through said conduit system to actuate said motor to retract the handle. v

3. In a hand bag assembly defined in claim 2, means for applying said gas pressure in the conduit system for extending said telescopic arms through thc bag openings.

4. "ln the hand bag assembly defined in claim 3, a

`whistle on one of said telescopic arms and means including a valved conduit for conducting gas to blow said whistle after it has fully extended said arm through the bag opening.

5. In the hand bag assembly defined in claini- 2, said release means also comprising a cartridge, a spring biased firing pin therefor and a movably mounted reservoir puncturing device, said firing pin being actuated when said legitimate bearer control ceases and acting to detonate the cartridge to sound an alarm and at the same time propel said device to puncture the reservoir and permit gas ow into said conduit system.

6. In a hand bag assembly fortransportingfmoney and like valuable property, a bag, a handle movably cil mounted on said bag between a normal extended carrying position and a retracted hand gripping position, power means within the bag for moving the handle to retracted position, control means for said power means'comprising an operator extending through said handle and having a portion normally held by a legitimate bearer of the bag,

and means to cause the automatic actuation of said power the shroud when thev bag is carried by a legitimate bearer.

References Cited in-the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 697,462 Elmer Apr. 15, 1902 1,505,954 Gill Aug. 26, 1924 1,701,700 Smith Feb. 12, 1929 '2,038,625 Adler Apr. 28, 1936 2,937,602 Norris May 24, 1960 

1. A HAND BAG ASSEMBLY FOR TRANSPORTING MONEY AND LIKE VALUABLE PROPERTY COMPRISING A BAG, A HANDLE MOVABLY MOUNTED ON THE BAG BETWEEN A NORMAL EXTENDED CARRYING POSITION AND A RETRACTED HAND CLAMPING POSITION ADJACENT THE BAG, A PLURALITY OF TELESCOPIC ARMS MOUNTED IN TELESCOPED NORMALLY CONCEALED POSITION WITHIN THE BAG BUT EXTENSIBLE THROUGH OPENINGS IN THE BAG, POWER MEANS FOR RETRACTING SAID HANDLE TOWARD THE BAG WITH APPRECIABLE FORCE AND SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE SAME TIME EXTENDING SAID ARMS THROUGH THE BAG OPENINGS TO PROJECT IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS FROM SAID BAG, RELEASE MEANS OPERABLE TO CAUSE ACTUATION OF SAID POWER MEANS, AND AN OPERATOR FOR SAID RELEASE MEANS NORMALLY HELD IN OPERATIVE POSITION BY A LEGITIMATE BEARER OF SAID BAG, SO THAT IF THE BAG IS SEIZED BY ANOTHER PERSON TO PREVENT CONTROL OF SAID RELEASE MEANS BY SAID LEGITIMATE BEARER SAID RELEASE MEANS WILL AUTOMATICALLY ACTUATE SAID HANDLE RETRACTING AND ARM EXTENDING MEANS. 